To say that 1999 was a yr of pleasure and uncertainty can be an understatement. The world waited expectantly on the cusp of the brand new millennium and, within the months main as much as Y2K, music followers had loads of albums to take pleasure in.
While the pop panorama was flush with a broad array of boy bands, woman teams, and pop divas (together with Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and Christina Aguilera), the airwaves have been additionally brimming with Latin rhythms. Buena Vista Social Club, a documentary in regards to the Cuban music scene, gave legendary artists like Ibrahim Ferrer a brand new platform. Latin rockers Santana discovered a brand new era of followers with their massively fashionable comeback album, Supernatural. Rising acts like Zurdok and Control Machete discovered new alternatives for crossover success, whereas Ricky Martin had everybody “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
The air was ripe with prospects for digital acts as nicely, with Moby, Fatboy Slim, and Underworld discovering mainstream success, whereas hip-hop followers had loads of unbelievable music to select from, because of nice albums by Dr. Dre, The Roots, and Eminem.
From the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Californication to TLC’s Fanmail, listed below are the most effective albums of 1999.
Can’t get sufficient 90s music? Listen to our 90s Music playlist right here.
55: Julie Miller – Broken Things
The country-folk singer’s 1999 album is an emotional and intimate file that places her stirring vocals and exact songwriting entrance and middle.
54: Pépé Bradock – Burning
Taking inspiration from dance music of the 70s, the French producer’s influential work spins disco, breakbeats, and soul into an irresistibly danceable file.
53: Beck – Midnite Vultures
Taking inspiration from soul and funk music, the genre-blending artist’s 1999 album injects the kinds with a humor and quirkiness distinctly his personal.
52: Ibrahim Ferrer – Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer
A follow-up album to the music documentary of the identical identify, the Cuban music legend’s comeback album revives the spirit of the golden age of Cuban music within the 50s and 60s.
51: Zurdok – Hombre Sintetizador
The Mexican alt rock band’s 1999 album is residence to the hit single “Abre Los Ojos,” and established the band as probably the most fashionable regional bands of the last decade.
50: Botch – We Are the Romans
The metalcore band’s last album incorporates experimental rhythms and esoteric lyrics to create a standout album of the area of interest style.
49: Puya – Fundamental
The Puerto Rican metallic band’s main label debut put rock en espanol on the map and proved that good music is a common language.
48: The Chemical Brothers – Surrender
The digital duo turned to deal with music for his or her third studio album, threading the needle between the storied style and the massive beat sound they helped pioneer of their earlier releases.
47: Dillinger Escape Plan – Calculating Infinity
The metalcore band’s debut album is filled with loud rage and technical element, changing into probably the most ingenious and influential releases of the style.
46: Reba McEntire – So Good Together
Home to the crossover single “What Do You Say,” the prolific nation star’s twenty fifth studio album launched her to a broader viewers and cemented her standing as a dwelling legend.
45: Paul Bley, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian – Not Two, Not One
The jazz masters reunited after over twenty years on this file which looks like a well-deserving victory lap and superbly performs to their respective abilities.
44: Opeth – Still Life
The Swedish metallic band’s idea album has a few of their greatest lyricism and memorable preparations, establishing them as main lights of the scene.
43: The Olivia Tremor Control – Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One
Taking inspiration from musique concrète, noise, and pop, the band’s 1999 album eschews any simple categorization and can preserve your head spinning from begin to end.
42: Dream Theater – Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
The prog rock band’s 1999 idea album facilities round a time-traveling homicide thriller with music simply as dense because the narrative. For affected person listeners, the reward is nice.
41: Underworld – Beaucoup Fish
After getting an enormous enhance from a placement within the movie Trainspotting, the group’s extremely anticipated album exceeded expectations and have become an on the spot electronica basic.
40: Moby – Play
Moby’s business smash streaks techno with hints of blues and pop, making a sound that’s each critically outstanding and broadly accessible.
39: Dave Holland Quintet – Prime Directive
The famed double-bassist delivers pure, unadulterated jazz on this album – improvisational, meditative, and undeniably rhythmic.
30: Blur – 13
On this album Damon Albarn’s songwriting facilities on the dissolution of relationships, producing one of many group’s most weak information.
38: Prince Paul – A Prince Among Thieves
Featuring the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Chris Rock, and De La Soul, the hip-hop producer’s idea album is an in depth and very wealthy mannequin of musical storytelling.
37: The Beta Band – The Beta Band
The rock band’s 1999 album brings collectively pop, rock, hip-hop, people, and rather more for a chaotically stunning debut.
36: Control Machete – Artilleria Pesada Presenta
The Mexican hip-hop group’s second album established them as a mainstay in Latin pop and opened the door for quite a few cross-genre collaborations.
35: Macy Gray – On How Life Is
Home to favorites, “I Try” and “Still,” the distinctly bluesy rasp of Macy Gray was launched to the world on this debut album.
34: TLC – Fanmail
The influential woman group’s third studio album consists of the smash hit, “No Scrubs,” and can be the final album launched throughout Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ lifetime.
33: Ginuwine – 100% Ginuwine
The singer’s Timbaland-produced album reshaped the sound of R&B by mixing conventional soul with futuristic manufacturing.
32: Blackalicious – Nia
The Sacramento hip-hop duo’s debut album is at turns whimsical and summary however at all times feels rooted within the tenets of underground hip-hop – booming beats and nice rhymes.
31: Mary J. Blige – Mary
The R&B singer broke from her hip-hop roots on this album, displaying that she has the vocal chops to deal with soul, conventional R&B, and pop.
30: Susumu Yokota – Sakura
The Japanese producer’s glorious ambient album doesn’t cover in digital instrumentation, utilizing it as an alternative to spotlight the great thing about easy guitars and piano.
29: Dr. Dre – 2001
Home to hip-hop classics like “Still D.R.E” and “Forgot About Dre,” the legendary producer and rapper’s comeback album took him from behind the boards and re-established him as a frontman of the style.
28: Basement Jaxx – Remedy
Taking cues from New York’s home music scene, the British digital duo’s debut album is a cool, stylistically numerous tackle dance music that can preserve you transferring from high to backside.
27: Christina Aguilera – Christina Aguilera
Home to timeless hits like “Genie In A Bottle” and “What A Girl Wants,” the singer’s debut album established her as a vocal powerhouse with a knack for catchy songwriting.
26: Esbjörn Svensson Trio – From Gagarin’s Point Of View
Featuring the memorable title monitor, the jazz trio’s worldwide breakthrough introduced their distinct model of jazz pop to a worldwide viewers.
25: Alison Krauss – Forget About It
Featuring fan favorites like “Ghost In This House” and “Stay,” the bluegrass singer’s stripped down 1999 album serves as a showcase for her masterful storytelling.
24: Neurosis – Times of Grace
One of their most totally realized initiatives, the Oakland dying metallic band’s uncompromising and difficult 1999 album shouldn’t be for the faint of coronary heart, but when you may get into it, you’ll by no means look again.
23: Backstreet Boys – Millennium
Home to the pop basic, “I Want It That Way,” the boy band’s third studio album catapulted them to world stardom.
22: Built to Spill: Keep It Like A Secret
Lead singer and songwriter Doug Martsch turned to pop for the band’s second huge label album, however he managed to tug off a extra mainstream sound with out having at hand over the group’s indie rock cred.
21: Drexciya – Neptune’s Lair
Steeped in mythology and thriller, the influential digital duo’s debut LP seems like nothing earlier than it and is broadly thought of to be one of many biggest techno information ever produced.
20: Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile
Trent Reznor’s meticulous method to arranging music reaches a inventive peak on this file that encompasses every little thing from industrial noise to ambient instrumentals.
19: Rage Against The Machine – The Battle Of Los Angeles
Home to their greatest hit ”Guerilla Radio,” the rapping rock band’s 1999 album nonetheless sounds as revolutionary at this time because it did many years in the past.
18: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
Featuring the title hit and the Grammy Award-winning “Scar Tissue,” the band’s 1999 album noticed them reuniting with guitarist John Frusciante and have become considered one of their most profitable releases thus far.
17: Santana – Supernatural
The Latin rock band’s comeback album for Arista Records options some high-profile visitors like Lauryn Hill, Eagle Eye Cherry, and Eric Clapton, and returned the veteran rockers to the general public eye.
16: Nobuo Uematsu – Final Fantasy VIII
The online game soundtrack has taken on a lifetime of its personal, permitting longtime avid gamers and nongamers alike to search out one thing to take pleasure in.
15: Ely Guerra – Lotofire
Spanning matters as critical as femicide and environmentalism, the Mexican singer’s hit album is a delicate but potent file that showcases her understated vocals over trip-hop impressed manufacturing.
14: Mariah Carey – Rainbow
Including the eternally social gathering jam, “Heartbreaker,” the vocal titan’s seventh studio album is a pop R&B basic that conjures pet love and summer season days.
13: Dixie Chicks – Fly
The nation group’s chart-topping album consists of hits like “Ready to Run,” and “Cowboy Take Me Away.” With its numerous influences and sharp storytelling, the file paved the best way for future feminine nation pop stars like Taylor Swift.
12: Smog – Knock Knock
Bill Calahan’s affecting break-up album is unassuming, bittersweet, and totally hopeful, displaying that even in disaster, there’s mild to be discovered.
11: Kelis – Kaleidoscope
The pop R&B icon’s debut album was produced by the Neptunes, heightening the out-of-this-world power of Kelis’s vocal supply and daring storytelling.
10: Destiny’s Child – The Writing’s on the Wall
Featuring classics comparable to “Say My Name,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Bug A Boo,” and “Jumpin’ Jumpin’,” the woman group’s sophomore album proved that they weren’t simply pop savvy but additionally unbelievable vocalists.
9: The Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs
Comprising three volumes of music, Stephin Merritt’s bold file rejects surface-level romance and digs deep to uncover the nice, the unhealthy, and the ugly of romantic love.
8: Sigur Rós – Ágætis byrjun
With its dense preparations and beautiful melodies, the Icelandic band’s sophomore album took post-rock from a small neighborhood to a worldwide phenomenon.
7: Sleater-Kinney – The Hot Rock
The rock band turned inward for his or her fourth album exploring the darkish corners of the thoughts and relationships, showcasing their unbelievable vary and storytelling expertise.
6: The Roots – Things Fall Apart
The hip-hop band’s masterpiece is a prescient, invigorating, and demanding album that continues to impress hip-hop followers many years after its launch.
5: MF Doom – Operation: Doomsday
The late rapper’s opus is a swirl of dense lyricism and stellar manufacturing that makes it clear why Doom is your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper.
4: Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time
Home to the record-smashing title hit, the pop queen’s debut album remade the style in her picture and signaled a brand new period of adlescent pop stars.
3: The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin
With the grandeur of an orchestra, the rock band’s masterpiece is deeply transferring and broadly thought of to be top-of-the-line information of the last decade.
2: Mos Def – Black on Both Sides
Featuring beloved classics like “Ms. Fat Booty” and “UMI Says,” the Brooklyn rapper debut established him as one of many style’s biggest lyricists.
1: Eminem – The Slim Shady LP
The rap veteran’s sophomore album consists of the smash hit, “My Name Is” and launched Eminem the supervillain to the mainstream; regardless of its controversy, nobody might deny that it was one of many biggest main label debuts of all time.
Can’t get sufficient 90s music? Listen to our 90s Music playlist right here.